This invention relates generally to watercraft equipment and more particularly concerns lifts for raising and lowering watercraft out of and into the water.
Depending on docking situations, it may be desirable or necessary to mount a lift on the dock in either a side mount or a front end mount orientation. In the front end mount orientation, the keel of the watercraft will extend perpendicularly to the edge of the dock to which the lift is mounted. In all known front mounted lifts, the front end of the lift which is the portion of the lift closest to the dock is mounted at a level significantly higher than the opposite end of the lift. Since the lift is angled, during the lifting process the watercraft will be supported at an angle with respect to its level or operational attitude. Furthermore, the angled condition of the lift makes it impossible for the watercraft to approach the lift in reverse, that is stern rather than bow first, because the propeller will not clear the lift frame. Presently known front mounted lifts also are limited in design by the torque exerted on the dock by the cantilevered weight of the lift which often results in damage to the dock. Some front mounted lifts use chains or ropes connected from the rear of the lift to limit its downward travel. Others allow the lift to rest on bottom when it is lowered. Still others limit the length of the lift and therefore the type of watercraft which can be raised and lowered by it.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a front mounted lift for watercraft which substantially maintains the watercraft in its operational or level attitude throughout the lifting and lowering processes. It is another object of this invention to provide a front mounted lift for watercraft which may be approached by the watercraft either the bow or stern first. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a lift for watercraft which reduces the torque applied by the lift to the dock. Similarly, it is an object of this invention to provide a front mounted lift for watercraft which does not require the use of chains or ropes to support the rear of the lift. It is also an object of this invention to provide a front mounted lift for watercraft which does not rest on the bottom when in the lowered condition. And it is an object of this invention to provide a front mounted lift for watercraft which is capable of supporting a variety of types and size of craft while minimizing the possibility of damage to the dock.